


Miscommunication

by xSparklingRavenx



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Amusement Parks, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Post Ending E, Rain, Roller Coasters, Spoilers, Storms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-13 00:49:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10502970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSparklingRavenx/pseuds/xSparklingRavenx
Summary: They were a trinity of unresolved conflict, and as far as they knew, the only YoRHa left. 2B, 9S, and A2 struggle to understand one another after the end of it all.Post Ending E.





	1. Amusement Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the amusement park, 2B struggles to deal with everything that comes after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This runs on the assumption that Ending C is the one that leads into Ending E, just for clarification. Beta'd and edited by myself, so if you catch any mistakes, I'm sorry! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Edit (17/05/2017) - Going through the fic to clean it up a bit, sort out any janky sentences, and make it sound a bit better! Nothing big, just a few line and word changes!

The amusement park was dusky but quiet when they arrived, 2B walking behind 9S while A2 took up the rear. It was startlingly different to when she had seen it before, when machines had danced and played around the entrance with a kind of vigour she hadn’t thought possible of them. Now, it was still, the air stagnant with an eerie kind of calm.

The three of them had met up in the City Ruins, 9S nearly bolting at the sight of A2 while she and 2B stared each other down. She held no animosity towards her for what had been done; there had been no choice with the logic virus eating away at her systems. What she couldn’t know was how A2 had felt about the decision; the other android was a mystery, and one that 2B wasn’t sure she could unravel. They were made of different personalities, different experiences, and there was an element of unpredictability about A2 that made 2B uncomfortable in analysing her.

Before all that though, there was whatever had happened between 9S and A2 while she had been gone. He’d given her a brief explanation of what had happened between them in her absence, but it was evident that he could barely speak to her. What he'd said had lacked detail and clarity, and 2B was unsure if it was because he knew now of her true purpose or he had done something that he couldn’t forgive himself for.

They were a trinity of unresolved conflict, and as far as they knew, the only remaining YoRHa left. 2B supposed it would have been stranger if everything between them was harmonious. As it stood, every secret had come out, battles that should never have come to pass had been fought, and furthermore, humanity was extinct. There was nothing left to fight for, and no orders left to take. They were free, but also without purpose.

“There are no Black Box signals in the vicinity.” Pod 042 said. It was the sixth time it had done so, twelfth if she counted Pod 153’s warnings too.

“If you say that one more time, I’ll dismantle you nice and slow.” A2 muttered, her arms crossed against her chest. “We’ve got nothing else to do except look. Accept it and move on.”

2B glanced at the Pod, but it didn’t seem to care for A2’s threats. It had changed somewhere between the bunker being blown up and 2B reawakening on top of that building in the City Ruins. It had gone beyond its programming.

They all had. There was something more to them now than what had been there before any of this had happened. It was why 9S had suggested they go travelling. The underlying reason was to see if they could find any other YoRHa units, as he was convinced there were others out there. "I met another scanner, 4S." he'd said, and if one had survived, surely there could be more. Even though the Pods kept coming up short when they scanned, he seemed driven. It wasn’t as if they had any other plans.

The silence between them was uncomfortable as they picked their way through the amusement park. 2B had taken it in at a basic level the first time, but now she was aware of the absence of the fireworks that had exploded into rainbow showers, how the sky looked so empty without them there. Brightly coloured balloons still swayed in the wind, tied to old stalls that once may have been manned by a person or a machine in cheerful garb. 2B decided not to think too deeply about it.

Something caught her eye. She paused by one of the stalls to pick up an old gear that might be useful in upgrading a weapon, but 9S didn’t stop. He went ahead without a word, Pod 153 following him obediently.

“Stupid kid.” A2 said, kicking away the debris at her feet. “Thought he'd be thrilled to have you back.”

2B looked up towards the castle where they had danced with Simone. That had been so long ago now, before anything had come to light and 9S could still look at her and grin. Their dynamic had changed so much. 2B didn’t know to talk to 9S, and outside of his initial thrill that she was alive, he seemed to have no idea how to talk to her back.

“It’s never that easy.” she said, turning half way. She could see A2 out of the corner of her eye, see the way messy hair obscured a face identical to 2B’s own. “What am I supposed to do?”

A2 shrugged. “Why ask me? When I shared your memories, I did what you wanted. Now you’re here, it’s not my problem.”

“Unit 2B should be blunt with Unit 9S.” Pod 042 said. “Pod 153 agrees, and suggests that you take up the issue with him.”

2B nibbled at her lip. She had already considered doing so, but the potential fallout had stopped her from taking action. “Would be better than you two shuffling around each other pretending the other doesn’t exist.” A2 said.

She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she didn’t. Without a sound, 2B stepped forward, going down the same paths that 9S had taken. He’d gone down the back alleys, where the machines had taken breaks and sold her items before. She heard A2 sigh and then footsteps as she followed.

It didn’t make sense that A2 was with them, but that wasn’t a surprise. Nothing added up anymore. 2B should have been dead and yet she was here when the bunker was gone. They were on Earth and they were living like the humans once would have; with one single life to do with as they pleased. It didn’t mean that everything was perfect. She missed 6O’s constant nattering away in her ear.

“Why did you come with us?” 2B asked.

A2’s response came after a few seconds of silence. “Because I can’t be with the ones I want to be with.”

There was something hidden behind those words, something sorrowful and sad that 2B wasn’t privy to. She felt no need to ask. There was plenty of time for them to figure each other out. If A2 wanted to elaborate, she could elaborate in her own time. “I see.”

“You can, though.” A2 said, and when 2B turned her head to look at her, there was a forlorn expression on her face. “Would be pretty stupid to waste that chance moping about because the two of you can’t fix what’s up. And anyway,” she shook her head, her voice softening. “He knows it wasn’t what you wanted to do. He knows you hated it.”

Together they climbed the fairground rides, following the only path 9S could have taken. Pod 042 lead the way, hovering a few feet in front of 2B at all times. They hopped over the buildings, and then stopped in the area where the tank used to drive through with balloons spilling from its sides.

“Unit 9S is by the roller coaster.” Pod 042 said, even though she could see that from where she was stood. He was sitting cross legged with Pod 153 in his lap, his arms wrapped around its rectangular body. “Would Unit 2B like me to speak with Pod 153 and tell him to come down?”

“That won’t be necessary.” she said. “A2, I’m going up there to talk to him. Give me a moment.”

A2 shrugged as if it didn’t matter to her, but 2B could feel her watching as she went up the stairs. 9S didn’t react to her as she approached, but Pod 153 shifted in his arms, freeing itself. “I will go somewhere else for the time being,” it said, before floating down the stairs.

Reaching up to her visor, 2B tugged it off as she sat beside 9S. Doing this while masked felt wrong, as if she was hiding something from him when the last thing she wanted was to keep anymore secrets. “You’ve been acting off with me,” she said.

He traced one of his gloved fingers against the rickety boards of the floor. “You’ve been acting off with me too,” he said, but it was a poor defence. She saw the sides of his mouth tighten. “A lot happened.”

“It did.” she agreed. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”

Silence, awkward and cold, stifled the air between them. When 9S spoke, it was stilted. “I did awful things.”

He glanced over at her and then away. She didn’t judge him for not removing his visor; if he wanted to hide his eyes, then that was his decision. “A2 stopped you, and you regret it now. It’s in the past.”

“You don’t understand.” he said. And she didn’t, because there was so much that he still wasn’t telling her, so much that only he’d experienced. “I know what I’m capable of. I don’t feel like I’m me anymore.”

In another life, where the bunker still existed and 2B still followed orders, he would never have gotten this far. She would have killed him and had his memories wiped and he would be none the wiser. Looking at him now, she begun to wonder if taking his memories was a blessing, if it saved him from this kind of agony.

She felt bad the second she considered it. No, it was no blessing, and she was cruel for even considering that it might be. “You still look like you to me.” she said, although she had no idea what she was trying to do for him. She was an executioner model, not one made to comfort. “I wanted to talk to you. To tell you I’m sorry.”

“I already know.” 9S said. “A2 told me, up on the tower. ‘She hated to keep on killing you.’”

2B felt choked, hearing him say it. “That’s right. It was killing me too.”

“I believe you. I do, 2B. ” 9S said, but he still wasn’t looking at her. He reached behind his head and undid his visor. When she saw his eyes, they were glassy, as if he wanted to cry. “I’m not stupid, I know what you were made for, I get it, but it just…there’s something in me that wants to hate you. And I don’t. I don’t hate you. I could never. But it’s…”

“It’s still there.” 2B said, reaching out to rest her hand on his cheek. He stilled beneath her touch. “You don’t have to forgive me. Just know that I won’t ever hurt you again.”

Closing his eyes, he reached up with his own hand and rested it on top of hers. “I just wanted this. I just wanted you back. I didn’t know what else to do, 2B.”

There was an ache deep inside her chest. She didn’t have a heart, not like the humans once did, but she still felt like something was broken within her. She took her hand from his cheek and pulled him close against her. He let her guide him, his head resting against her shoulder.

“It’ll be different this time.” she said into his hair. “It’ll never end that way again.”

She held onto him until he pulled back of his own accord, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “You done up there?” A2 called from below. “These pods are driving me nuts, I swear to everything--!”

“Unit A2 should consider the fact that without us, she would not be here.” Pod 042 said.

9S winced as A2 turned her anger on it. 2B didn’t think her words would have much of an effect. The pods lived as they wanted to now, and a lecture wouldn’t change their opinions. “She’s so loud.” 2B said.

“Yeah…uh, 2B?”

“Hm?”

“I know there are no YoRHa units here, but I actually wanted to see if the roller coaster still worked.”  9S stood and kicked the side of it. It squeaked. “It looks like it still does, so…maybe we could ride it? Properly?”

2B glanced over at it, her lips parting in surprise. She and 9S had ridden it before, but they had been fighting at the time, machines striking at them from every angle. “All of us?”

He nodded and then hesitantly leant over the railing. “Hey, A2? Could you come up here for a second?”

She took her time, still berating the pods. When she got to the top, she looked down at him through her hair. To 2B, her eyes were as icy and guarded as always. “What?”

Going over to the cart, 2B lifted the bar that covered the seats to inspect it. It seemed sturdy enough. “You ever been on one of these things before?”

A2 looked at it, one eyebrow raised. “No, but I’ve got your memories of it. It didn’t look very fun.”

“We’re going to try it again.” 9S said, following 2B on. “There has to be some reason humans enjoyed this, right?”

2B sat, waiting. She wasn’t dropping the bar back down until A2 got on. It was a quiet stand off between the two, until eventually A2 let out a sigh and said, “Fine.”

She dropped down next to 9S as Pod 153 and Pod 042 settled in the cart behind. 2B lowered the bar over the three of them and held on when the ride began to move. It began slow, picking up speed as it ran the length of the rails laid out before it.

“Come on, I’m here for the thrill!” A2 cried impatiently. The ride climbed higher and higher, the sky clear above them, and then stopped suddenly at the top.

She could see the entire park, impressive and wide. Once, human children would have played here with smiles on their faces and joy in their lungs. For a moment the world was frozen in place, incredible and beautiful.

The ride lurched forward, 2B gasping as 9S grabbed for her hand. Wind whipped through her hair as the pods let out a monotone scream. “It is customary to yell on a roller coaster.” Pod 042 said.

“Noted.” 2B said as the roller coaster began its ascent again. 9S’s grip on her hand was tight, but when she looked over, he was smiling. Beside him. A2 looked less despondent than usual; her eyes were wide with ecstasy. This was how things were meant to be.

Squeezing 9S’s hand, she said, “Ready?”

The roller coaster stopped at the highest point once again. 9S looked towards her, his smile not faltering. “Ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all i wanted to do was write the roller coaster scene but this thing just. kept getting bigger. I hope everyone was in character this was harder than I anticipated..... i'm on tumblr under the same username so if you want to read more (or just watch my blog dissolve into nier) then feel free to swing on by!


	2. City Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being saved from certain death by A2, 9S has a lot to contend with. A2 doesn't give a damn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y-you guys.......I initially wasn't planning on adding to this (especially as I'm in the throes of assignment season as my creative writing course comes to an end) but all your lovely comments and support inspired me to give this another addition. The response I've had literally blew me away, thank you all so, so much. I hope this is enjoyable!
> 
> Beta-read and edited by myself, as always, so if you see any mistakes I'm so so sorry!
> 
> Edit (07/04/17) - Thank you everyone for your feedback! I went ahead and changed the deal with 9S and the repairs, as I want it to be in line with canon :D

It stormed in the City Ruins, the sky above open in a torrential downpour that made it difficult for 9S to see even twenty feet in front of him. Lightning flashed across the sky and the clouds thundered together, the roar of nature rumbling across the horizon. Sat inside one of the buildings with Pod 153 floating by his head, he eagerly peered out to watch, intrigued by the pressure changes and the light show that he'd never had the opportunity to document before.

“First time seeing a storm?” A2 said, making him flinch. She’d been quiet until now, but he’d never forgotten her presence. When he looked around she was sat up against the wall farthest from him, inspecting her right leg. It was heavily damaged, the casing dented inwards and the limb itself sparking every now. There was no way she could walk on it like that.

Guilt settled heavily into his chest, like a stone lodged in his ribcage. Not meeting her eyes, he shrugged and shook his head. “Not like this.”

A2 gave a curt laugh at the short response. The side of her mouth quirked up in a sardonic smile. “Look me in the eyes. I didn’t save your stupid ass for you to play coy with me now.”

He gritted his teeth, clenching the fabric of his shorts in his hands. A2 didn’t understand. Every time he looked at her, all he could see was her on top of that tower, his actions incomprehensible in his own desperation. He’d wanted to kill her. He’d wanted to tear her apart with his own hands, brutally, painfully, just to feel her die beneath his touch. He had hated her with everything he had, and he had failed in the end anyway.

She had seen a side of him that left him ashamed and broken, and yet here she was, travelling beside him and 2B anyway. The storm thundered again, drawing his attention away. He looked back out, and then asked Pod 153, “How is 2B doing?”

“Pod 042 states that Unit 2B has found the necessary parts for Unit A2’s repair. She has shelter, and will try and rendezvous with us when it clears.” A pause. “Pod 042 claims that she is sodden, and that it is rather amusing.”

9S let out a breathy laugh. “She’s not going to be happy when she gets back, is she?” he said.

“I don’t blame her. It’s a pain to dry out.” A2 said. 9S glanced back over at her, taking in her methodical movements as she moved her hand from her leg to drum her fingers against the floor. “Least that means repair will come soon. It’d have been a pain to fix it on my own.”

What she didn’t say was that if she’d been on her own, she wouldn’t have had a broken leg to fix. The injury had occurred when 9S had been poking around a building after getting some odd readings from it. “I’ll be right back,” he’d said to 2B before rushing off ahead with Pod 153. She hadn’t followed him, the air was still kind of weird between them even after the roller coaster, but A2 had.

The readings had suggested that there was something resembling a machine on one of the upper floors, so 9S had pursued it. Curiosity was in his nature, and every unusual reading was one that he had to investigate. Bolting up the stairs, he searched out the source and eventually found the body of a machine lying deactivated amongst some rubble. It was of a make that he’d never seen in the City Ruins before, the kind of machine that usually ran at them and exploded in the desert.

A2’s heels made a harsh sound against the floor. He remembered thinking that they sounded unlike 2B’s; she was so light on her feet that she could sneak up on him easily if she wanted. She probably had done in their shared past that he couldn’t remember, but that didn’t bear thinking about. Intrigued by the machine, he had reached out to it so he could inspect it more closely. It was deactivated, he reasoned. There was no reason it should have been a threat.

“No, don’t touch that—!” A2 had cried, but it had been too late and the world flashed white in front of his eyes, the cracking sounds of an explosion in his ears.

It took twenty seconds for his visuals to come back online, and even longer for his processors to kick back into gear. Everything was blurry, he couldn’t move, but he was in a lot less pain than he should have been. All his limbs seemed to have been functioning. Why wasn’t he—?

A2 was collapsed on top of him, her head by his, her hair in his face and his eyes and his mouth. She had thrown herself at him and managed to clear them out of the way of the blast, but not from the rubble it had dislodged. Part of the building had collapsed inwards on her, crushing her right leg beneath.

“9S!” he'd heard 2B shout, her voice panicked. Why had she been there? Hadn’t she stayed behind? He was still dazed, and things weren’t quite adding up. A2 had saved him. If he’d taken the full brunt of that explosion, he would have been dead and that would have been the end of him for good. Pod 153, where was it? He couldn’t move.

“9S!” 2B shouted again, and then she’d gasped and there had been a moment of horrifying silence. “A2!”

2B appeared in his vision, Pod 042 and Pod 153 at her side. Good, he’d thought hazily. It had survived the blast. “We’ll get you free. We’ll get you free.”

Another moment of too long silence, and then A2 shifted finally, a groan in her throat. “Make it quick.”

2B and the pods made quick work of the rubble, and 9S had been mostly unharmed thanks to A2’s quick reactions. A2’s leg, on the other hand, had been rendered useless. “Stay here.” 2B had told them after helping them down to the first floor of the building. “The androids at the Resistance Camp can repair you if I find the necessary parts, right? Then I’ll go now.”

That had been hours ago. The storm had started not shortly after. 9S had tried to distract himself from A2 and what had happened by watching the weather. A2, however, was difficult to ignore. She had saved him, he thought. She hadn’t needed to. In pushing him out of the way, she’d risked her own life. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memory, and went back to inspecting the lightning above.

“You know,” she said. “First time I saw a storm, it was with my old squadron.”

9S watched the rain cascade downwards, sheets and sheets of impassable looking droplets. He didn’t want to talk to her, but she rarely if ever offered up anything personal about herself. It was a good opportunity, he reasoned, to gather information. “Oh. Yeah, I forgot that you were on missions way before us.”

“Before you were even a concept. The scanners I knew were entirely different to you, you know. There were no B-models either.” she sighed, shaking her head. “Doesn’t matter now, but whatever. No.4 and I got drenched in these damn downpours. Anemone laughed at us, told us to get used to it.”

Her eyes looked very far away then, 9S thought. Was she reliving those memories? Androids had perfect recall. Could she feel the rain on her skin, taste the scent in the air? “No.4?”

“I guess you would call her A4. We didn’t have those designations back then.” A2 shrugged. “Me and you, we’re the same and we’re different. Look at us, we both lost someone we cared about.”

9S frowned. “Where’s the difference then?”

“You got to be by her side again."

He could have kicked himself. Of all the insensitive, unfeeling things he could say, that had to be it. “Agh, I’m sorry.”

“Please. If I was going to get sad over it, it wouldn’t be because of your bullshit comment.” A2 laughed, but it was humourless. “It’s over. I’m bitter about it and maybe I always will be, but it’s over.”

9S had thought that he might never understand her, but with that one comment he felt as if he had some insight into the way she worked. There was common ground between the two of them; had 2B not come back, he thought that maybe he might have been like A2, bitter and cold and angry at the world.

“A2?”

“Oh, finally want to talk?”

He nodded, wringing his hands. “Why did you save me?”

A2 stared at him a long while, her eyes half lidded behind her curtain of hair. “Part of me wants to say that it’s because of 2B. I mean, I still have her memories and all. I know all about you, 9S. And maybe because of that I care about you in some weird, twisted way.” She drummed her fingers against the floor again, her mouth twisting as she thought. “The other half of me says it’s because you still have a life left to live. You were produced, what, three years ago? Hah, you’re no different to those child machines, are you? Small and curious and young. Just…don’t kill yourself if you get too scared. I don’t think I could deal with that.”

9S had no idea what she was talking about, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to understand either. Being compared to a machine – once, that would have stung, but now he didn’t bat an eyelid. “What are you trying to say? That your life isn’t worth living? You could have died!”

“I could have. Just like I could have at the tower, or fighting the machines all the years I was here alone. I’ve been living like this for a long time, 9S. I know what I’m doing.”

“Then don’t be so reckless!”

“What’s this? You care about me now?” She brought up a knee to rest her other arm on, the whole position casual and calm. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t intend to die. I can’t. I mean, I told my squad I was coming to meet them, and then screwed that up by living, no thanks to the Pods.”

“Your gratitude has been noted.” Pod 153 said.

“Shut up. Anyway, as I was saying, I can’t go meet them after all this time and then tell them I went down like an idiot. If I die a stupid death, how could I face them? I won’t get killed doing something ridiculous.”

9S felt like he was getting further and further away from understanding her again. “So dying a death that saved me would be honourable?”

“No, but at least I could tell the others that I saved some scanner.” A2 snorted. “Look. I’m not going to pretend that I get what’s going on in those processors of yours, and I sure as hell don’t expect you to pretend that you get me, but maybe we’ve figured something out here. I’m not going to try and kill you.”

He nodded. “Uh, right. And I won’t try and kill you.”

“Great.” She looked past him, one eyebrow raised. “Would you look at that, the rain’s stopping.” she tried to move, hissing in pain as she shifted. “Dammit!”

She was right though. In the time they had been talking, the storm had receded, the floor still soaked through but the sky having become clearer. 9S felt a vague sense of disappointment. He’d wanted to watch it more closely, look at how it impacted the environment, see how the animals responded to the change.

“Oh don’t look so upset.” A2 said. “There’ll be more.”

“Pod 042 states that Unit 2B is on her way.” Pod 153 says. “Perhaps there will be time for more heart to hearts later?”

“Wouldn’t ‘Black Box to Black Box’ be a more accurate term?” 9S said, unable to help the smile on his face. A2 rolled her eyes at the joke. “…Thank you, A2.”

“For what?” she asked. “Don’t give me some sappy answer.”

“Just, for saving me. And for telling me that stuff.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was just being nice so that 2B won't kick my ass about you moping about.”

“Right.” 9S said. “Your leg will look like new when it's repaired, I'm sure.”

“It’d better.” A2 said, closing her eyes. “Don’t get caught up in the past. Got it?”

He nodded, turning so he could look out for 2B. “I’ve got it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how do you write A2 because she is a mystery to me
> 
> also, my knowledge of the stage play is spotty at best. i tried. please forgive me.


	3. Forest Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After coming across an old face in the ruins of the forest village, A2 has to come to terms with the things she's done, and whatever the future might hold for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just finished up my creative writing assignments for my final year at uni and I have written so many short stories in the space of the past two weeks that I've burned myself out. To combat this, I wrote about A2, because that seemed the right way to go about things for some reason. Beta-read by myself, as usual, so I hope there's no mistakes!
> 
> Thank you guys so, SO much for the support on the previous two chapters. I saw a lot of people seemed to want Pascal, so I wrote this with that in mind! I hope it is enjoyable, and does him justice!

The path to the forest was clear as A2 walked it, and yet her purpose felt muddied. She followed 2B and 9S as they lead the way, keeping a steady distance from them while they made conversation. 9S did most of the talking; pointing out every interesting sight he spotted while 2B replied in short sentences. It didn’t seem to deter him. If anything, it only encouraged him to say more. 

Their next destination was the forest’s castle, where 9S claimed he’d met the other scanner unit he’d mentioned before. It was a hike to get all the way out there, but 2B had no objections towards it, and A2 didn’t care where they went as long as they were actively doing something. The Pods didn’t have anything to say on the matter, so that was the plan, for better or for worse.

As they walked, A2 wondered how long they would be able to keep this up. She wouldn’t stay with them forever, she knew as much even now. There would come a day where there would be nothing left to find, nothing left to do, and A2 would drift from them and go back to the way she always had been; alone, apathetic, searching for a purpose in a desolate landscape. Maybe she would hunt the machines that were left, maybe she would eventually degrade and break down and join her dead companions as she finally promised. Whatever would come would come, and she would embrace the day when it finally arrived.

She’d go and see Anemone once more before then, though. She owed her that much.

The conversation between 2B and 9S flowed surprisingly well given the awkward distance that had plagued the two up until the events of the amusement park. She caught snippets of it here and there, meaningless chatter about the taste of fish that might have grated on her nerves a few weeks ago. Now she just let them talk, aware that this was important in a way, that they needed this kind of interaction to fix what had happened between them.

Pod 042 floated beside her. “Does Unit A2 not wish to engage in conversation?”

A2 screwed up her face at the thought. “Nope. Go back and stay with them”

Pod 042 didn’t move. “Proposal: Unit A2 should join in and offer her own opinion to the discussion.”

“Proposal: leave me alone.” A2 said, walking ahead of it. The city ruins melted into the lush wildlife, trees reaching for the sky while lush grass sprung up from the ground. It was peaceful, calm. A2 thought of the baby king that she had slain and wondered if she was supposed to feel bad.

They weren’t going to the castle straight away. First they would pass through the village that had once been home to the peaceful machines. A knot formed in A2’s chest, tight and painful. It wasn’t a foreign feeling; A2 had been wound in messy, fraying loops for years. It was only recently it had all begun to unravel, and even then it was slow going.

2B had no idea what awaited, how empty that little village was now. A2 felt cold, remembering the way she had built that slide for the children, the way Pascal had asked her for that book the last time they’d met before everything went to hell. Would she have acted differently, had she known what was about to happen? Before the factory, machines had only ever been the enemy. After, they had become a lesson.

She could still hear the way Pascal’s voice broke in two when they ran back into the factory.

9S fell quiet as they walked the path that would take them to the village. Did he know? She wouldn’t be surprised if he had made his way through here in his grief-fuelled rampage. “2B.” A2 said. “There’s something you should know.”

“Hm? Go ahead.” 2B said.

“The logic virus hit this place hard.” she said curtly. There was no need to dress it up, no reason to dance around the subject. If there was one thing A2 hated, it was when other androids couldn’t get to the damn point. “No one got out.”

2B came to a halt, sudden and silent. In between everything had happened, the topic of the village had been mostly forgotten. When 2B and 9S had their own issues to work out, everything else that had happened hadn’t been important. “Oh.” she said, and then a moment later, “I see.”

“No use in moping about it.” A2 said, taking the lead when she didn’t make to move. “Shit happens. They were just machines anyway.”

Just machines, she thought, but she couldn’t get the memories out of what had happened out of her head.

A2 knew that 2B had cared about the village too. She had shared in her memories, known the way 2B had felt about everything. She and 9S had helped the inhabitants over and over, fulfilling requests, listening to what they had to say.  They knew this place intimately. It had to hurt.

“They’re in a better place.” 9S said lamely, likely parroting something he’d heard another android say. She’d heard that phrase before too, and felt the urge to press him on it, ask him if he truly knew what he was saying.

Before she could say anything, though, she recalled No. 4 and the rest of the squad. If they _weren’t_ in a better place, how would she ever meet them again when this was all over? She couldn’t decry his words when she’d said to him so definitively that she would meet them after she finally shut down, and maybe a part of her wanted to believe it. There had to be something better than this waiting for them all, or what was the point?

Not waiting for either of them, A2 made her way further into the forest, closer to the village. She saw the bridge that lead in, memories of visiting flashing through her mind. Hundreds of machines waving flags of pure white, softly chiming that they didn’t want to fight. It wasn’t a memory that belonged to her, but rather, one that was 2B’s. It was such a human thing to do, waving that flag. A2 faltered for a second before she pressed on.

She was not prepared to see Pascal standing in the village’s centre, looking around like he didn’t know where he was. She froze by the stand where a machine had once sold her weapons, her circuits stuttering as she took in his shape, the way he looked perfectly unharmed, how he was identical to the day she had ripped away his memories and left him behind.

Her breath hitched. “Pascal.” she said, and he turned to face her.

“Pascal?” he said, and he sounded so _normal,_ so unlike the machine that fallen to his knees in despair in the wake of a dozen or more dead children. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure who that is. Regardless, hello there. Can I help you?”

A2 stared. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” she said. “You’re—you came back here? What the hell!”

Pascal’s bright green eyes were innocent. He pressed his claw-like hands together. “Do you know this place well? I came here after wandering for some time, but only found junk. I don’t suppose you would like to purchase some?”

He made a sweeping gesture to a pile by his feet. It took A2 a moment to register what she was looking at; a heap of machine parts. This was her doing, she thought. She created the Pascal that stood in front of her. It took her a moment to find her words. “No. No, I don’t want any of that shit. I--”

She stopped. What was there to say? Pascal had asked for his memories to be erased so he could escape the pain. This was what he’d wanted, and she had done as he had asked.

She heard footsteps behind her, 2B and 9S. “Pascal?” 9S said, sounding as surprised as she had.

A2 turned and shook her head. “Don’t.” she said. “He doesn’t remember anything.”

“Oh, are these friends of yours?” Pascal said. “Would any of you like to purchase anything? I don’t have much use for these items myself, but I would hate for them to go to waste.”

2B’s face was hard to read. “What happened?” she said, and her voice was cold.

A2 knew what the issue was. 2B would have a problem with this no matter which way she spun the tale, and that was fair enough; 2B had dealt with being forgotten more times than A2 would ever know. She doubted 9S would have the capacity to understand either, given how tightly he clung to his own memories, but that was their problem, not hers. Lowering her voice, she told them the truth, plain and simple. “He saw the kids in his care die by their own hands because he taught them fear. I don’t blame him for wanting his memories wiped, and he said it was either that or I kill him. I wasn’t going to just leave him to stew in his own despair.”

2B’s mouth thinned. “It is true.” Pod 153 said. “Myself and Pod 042 conferred about the matter, and agree that Unit A2 acted accordingly.”

“You didn’t tell us he survived.” 2B said.

“Has he?” A2 said. “He’s not the Pascal you knew. I wiped everything at his insistence. He didn’t want to remember the pain. He was the one who felt guilty for what happened.”

9S didn’t look convinced. “Seriously…? But, wouldn’t it have been better for him to remember and work through it?”

“Does it matter?” A2 said sharply. “It’s done, he’s happy. I did what was right.”

“But what about No. 4?” 9S said, and her name struck A2 like a dagger in her metal ribs. “Would you want to forget her, just so it didn’t hurt anymore?”

Anger flooded her body, red hot. “What the hell do you know? Don’t you dare use her name against me!”

Silence. Birds flitted from the trees above at her outburst. She realised, belatedly, that her hands were clenched. Why was she so wound up? Why had the knot inside her coiled up so tight that she could barely breathe? If she knew she had done right, why was she so on the defensive?

Had there been another way?

“Excuse me?” Pascal said, his voice as soft as it ever was. “Is everything okay? Can I help you with anything?”

“Mind your own damn business.” A2 snapped. She stalked past him, her heels smashing harshly into the floor. Where she was going, she didn’t know. She needed somewhere to cool off, to think, to pretend that she knew what she wanted when for the first time in a long time, she felt directionless and like she was in the wrong.

The other two didn’t come after her. Everything had been so easy once. She killed machines, she killed YoRHa who came after her, she did what she needed to do and repaired herself as she needed. When 2B entrusted her with her final wish, she worked to fulfil it. When Pascal asked her to wipe his memories, she had done it without hesitating.

And now everything had changed. There was no war to be fought. Humanity was a lie. She was purposeless and yet she was still here. No. 4, No. 16, and No. 21 had been gone for so long, lifetimes, and she was _still_ here.

_“Would you want to forget her, just so it didn’t hurt anymore?”  
_

She wanted to destroy something just to feel it break. Who had he been, to say something like that? She had told him that story so he could understand her, not so he could use it as ammunition. She thought of 2B, with her unreadable expression. It wasn’t A2’s problem if she approved or disapproved of her actions.

“Unit A2 should consider other options before storming off like that. It was rather embarrassing.”

Pod 042’s voice dragged her from her thoughts. She’d managed to walk into the forest itself, but there were no machines in sight. Looking up at the Pod, she scowled. “Do you think I give a shit? What do you want?”

“Unit 2B sent me after you.” it paused, hovering in place. “Pod 153 states that Unit 9S knows what he said was wrong, and wants to apologise.”

“Tell him to shove it. I don’t want it.”

“Unit A2 is being unreasonable, and should endeavour to be more cooperative.” Pod 042 said. Before she could reply, it spoke again. “Proposal: Unit A2 should state her intentions.”

It was like hearing an echo of a time long passed. “My intentions?” she barked a laugh. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“That is what Unit A2 said the first time I asked. I require a different answer now.”

She opened her mouth to reply, and then stopped.

“Ten seconds have passed. Proposal: Unit A2 should state her intentions.”

She looked down at her hands, blackened from where her skin had worn away. “Screw you, making me think about this.” she said under her breath. This was her. Beneath everything, she had nothing. No purpose, no intentions. She did as she was asked, even if it wasn’t always the right option.

She was going to drift from the other two, and she would die alone.

“Tell me, Pod.” she said. “What was the right choice?”

“Are you referring to Pascal?” it said. “Unknown.”

“As useless as always.”

“Incorrect.” Pod 042 said. “Instead, I mean to say that there is no right answer. Unit 2B and Unit 9S may not agree with Unit A2’s methods, but they are not the machine life form known as Pascal.”

A2 sat in the grass, one knee up with her arm resting on it. “Just say that in the first place then.” she said. “Tell the others I’m waiting.”

“Affirmative. Proposal: Unit A2 should state her intentions.”

It wasn’t going to give up. She knew that from the first time. Before, she’d given it some half assed answer about destroying machines, but now that didn’t feel right. There had to be something in her that strived for more. There had to be a purpose buried deep beneath everything that made her who she was.

She was still thinking about it when 9S and 2B showed up, Pascal in tow. “Why is he here?” she asked when she laid eyes on him.

“I was told that there was a ‘resistance camp’, and that there was someone there I could speak to.” Pascal said, sounding rather pleased. “2B is very lovely. She said that they might be able to find a place for me there.”

“I just thought it would be better for you to have something to do, instead of staying in the village.” 2B said. A2 met her eyes, saw the kindness in them. 2B was quiet, sometimes cold, but she was gentle too. A2 envied her for a brief moment, how she had managed to stay that way even despite her designation.

She looked towards 9S, who managed to make eye contact too. She gave him credit for it. “Uh. Guess I should apologise. So…yeah. I shouldn’t have said that stuff and all. I’m sorry.”

“Make sure you don’t do it again.” A2 said, standing again. “So, let me guess, we’re gonna haul ourselves all the way back to the resistance camp, then back out here again?”

“Something like that.” 9S nodded.

“Great.” A2 said. “You go on ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

9S frowned, but went to Pascal’s side. 2B hung back though, even as the other two began to move. A2 expected her to say something, but when she proved unwilling to start a conversation, A2 took the initiative. “What?”

“I won’t pretend I agree with what you did.” she said, “But I understand why you did it.”

A2’s smile was sardonic on her lips. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t made for this kind of thing.” 2B shifted on the spot. She was uncomfortable and it showed. “Pascal isn’t the Pascal we knew, the same way 9S isn’t any of the 9S’s I’ve met before him. But at their core, there is something that remains, something that makes them who they are. Pascal may not remember, but he hasn’t changed.”

There it was. Androids dancing around the topic. “Get to the point.”

“He will become who he was again.” 2B said. “And, I think that you will too, A2.”

The sudden addition caught her off guard. “What was that?”

“I don’t know you well, but I do know that there’s something to you that is missing.” 2B looked unsure for a moment, as if she didn’t want to say anything more. “Whatever that is, I’m sure you’ll find it. In the meantime, I appreciate you working with us. Thank you for everything you’ve done, A2.”

She offered a smile, something real, something that A2 never thought she would see directed at anyone other than 9S. The knot inside her unwound, ever so slightly.

“Over five minutes have passed.” Pod 042 said. “Proposal: Unit A2 should state her intentions.”

A2 ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. “Heh, alright. I’m gonna meet the future head on, Pod. No more meandering, no more whining, no more doubting. My squadron here and now is something worth protecting, so that’s what I’ll work towards.” she paused. “I won’t have another Pascal. Not again.”

“Good answer.” said Pod 042, and if she didn’t know better, she could have sworn she heard a smugness to its tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We view things not only from different sides, but with different eyes; we have no wish to find them alike. - Blaise Pascal.
> 
> A2 is still an absolute mystery to me even after writing this entire thing from her POV. Also. 2B. I hope she's in character at the end there! I had to do a lot of rewriting trying to figure the two of them out in their interactions.


End file.
